Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Update: Someone With A Brain Writes An Apology for Virginia Governor Regarding Slavery

Virginia Governor Robert McDonnellhasissued an apology for his failure to include a reference to slavery in his proclamation designating April as Confederate History Month. Earlier today, McDonnell tried to justify the omission by claiming that slavery was not a pertinent aspect of Virginia's secession from the United States.

Suddenly, McDonnell has changed his mind. In a strongly worded statement that screams "ghostwritten," McDonnell has apologized for the omission. He has also produced an addendum to the proclamation that recognizes the "inhumane" institution of slavery and its role in the Confederate rebellion.

Here is a snip from McDonnell's apology (viewable in full on the Washington Postwebsite):

The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed. The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War. Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation. In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly approved a formal statement of "profound regret" for the Commonwealth's history of slavery, which was the right thing to do. . . .

Here is the text of the addendum to the proclamation:

WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights and all Virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders, and the study of this time period should reflect upon and learn from this painful part of our history. .

3 comments:

Okay, McDonnell was as wrong as two left shoes this morning. What happened between this morning and this evening that gave him a clue that his position put cast him, the state of Virginia, and the Republican Party as ignorant, arrogant, and pathetically lacking in even the most basic strategic skills? Okay, you are the poster child for compassionate conservatism. You give the response to the President's State of the Union Message. You don't totally bomb like Bobby Jindal -- good, good. But, you are dealing with a party that has some "perception" problems based on their support of folks who threaten, harass, spit and hurl racial epithets at elected officials -- (tea party). You also have another perception problem because of persistent sex scandals -- infidelity, bondage, hooking up in airports. And, you are the first state to file suit against the federal governmant for health care. It is incomprehensible that he would think that something like this would be appropriate or strategically sound. God save the United States and the State of Virginia from compassionate conservatism.

Speaking of someone without a brain, did you know that Barack Obama's use of the phrase "teachable moment" to refer to the Boston police officer's arrest of Henry Louis Gates in his own home was Obama's equivalent of Bob McDonnell's statement that slavery was not a significant aspect of the Confederacy? And that McDonnell handled his moment of entrapment in the snare of disastrous racial politics much more competently than Obama handled his? Hey, McDonnell apologized within 24 hours for leaving slavery out of Confederate History Month and stuck it in there; Obama didn't apologize at all for his equally horrifying racial gaffe of calling the Gates arrest a "teachable moment."

Darren - I think you are probably correct with your statement in your first post regarding McDonnell's brainless omission. It is certainly a no-brainer that the solution best for all is to simply SKIP this celebration next year.

About Me and the Blog

Professor Darren Hutchinson teaches Constitutional Law, Remedies, Race and the Law, and a Civil Rights Seminar at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Professor Hutchinson also holds the prestigious Stephen C. O’Connell Chair.
Professor Hutchinson received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Yale Law School. Before teaching law, Professor Hutchinson practiced commercial litigation at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton in New York City. He also clerked for the late Honorable Mary Johnson Lowe, a former United States District Judge in the Southern District of New York.
Professor Hutchinson's research has appeared in many prestigious journals including the Cornell Law Review, Washington University Law Review, UCLA Law Review, University of Michigan Journal of Race and Law, and University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.
He has also presented his research at numerous universities, including Yale, Stanford, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, University of California at Berkeley, University of Virginia, Cornell, Georgetown, and Boston University.

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